Norton updates Mobile Security for iOS, does separate Samsung deal

Symantec has updated its Norton Mobile Security app to iOS users, giving with some (but not all) of the features its Android app offers, while separately doing a deal with Samsung and Australia smartphone reseller All Phones to bring Norton Mobile Security to ever more Android users.

Security company Symantec has updated its Mobile Security app for iOS users, “adding contacts backup and improving the user experience.”

The company notes the integral nature of mobile phones to our everyday lives, and quoting stats which say that “three out of five Australian adults report they use a mobile device to access the Internet”, alongside a stat stating that “three out of ten Australian mobile phone users have had a device lost or stolen, putting their sensitive information at risk”, which is naturally where Norton Mobile Security steps in to help you keep your “device secure, recover a lost or stolen device and prevent strangers from accessing [your] information”.

Dave Cole, VP of Symantec’s Consumer Business unit points out that: “It’s no secret that people are using mobile devices more than ever in their daily lives, for everything from social networking to making mobile payments.

“Your phone may not just be your phone – it may be your wallet, identity card, address book and family photo album. As we use our phones in new and wonderful ways, we’re also putting sensitive information at risk if the device gets lost or stolen. With the latest version of Norton Mobile Security, we are making it simple for people to stay protected on whichever device they choose.”

Naturally, Symantec’s “Norton Mobile Security” is a multi-device and multi-platform offering, meaning you can use it to protect your iPhones, iPads, Android smartphones and Android tablets, with features such as “Contacts Backup and Restore” working across both operating systems – including being able to restore contacts across devices.

Just as with Apple’s iCloud service, there’s naturally a web-based management feature, which lets you do things like a “remote locate” on a map, and a “scream” alarm which sets off an “audible alert” so you can “quickly find [your] mobile device”.

While the app is free to download on iOS, it requires a Norton Account username and password, which you’ll get when you purchase a two-year subscription for Norton Mobile Security for AUD $49.95 from “various retailers, the Norton online store or Google Play”.

If you have the multi-device edition of Norton 360, or if you have Norton One, you’ll get the new features of Norton Mobile Security as part of your subscription.

Meanwhile, Android users can trial “Norton Mobile Security Lite” for free, with an upgrade option that gives Android users many more capabilities, including anti-phishing protection and the ability to block calls and SMS text messages, for an upgrade price of AUD $29.95, which is for one year, not two.

Another place to get Norton Mobile Security is at one of Australia’s smartphone retail chains, All Phones, with 165 stores across the country – a company which sells “all phones” connected to whatever Australian mobile network you want.

This announcement also highlights a new partnership between Symantec and Samsung, whereby the Norton Mobile Security app will be made available as a 90-day trial version for free download via the Samsung Apps Store, after which a license will be required for continued use, for Samsung Galaxy smartphones with Android 2.2 or later.

AllPhones naturally wants to both upsell a security product to an end user, while also giving them the added protection that Norton Mobile Security offers, while Samsung clearly wants to help consumers beef up security while presumably making a small cut should downloaders of the trial version decide to upgrade, although the terms of any such deal have not been made public.

Matthew Drake, a senior director of Symantec’s Pacific Consumer Business Unit, stated that: “Consumers are increasingly more mobile and with over half of the online population in Australia accessing the internet through a smartphone, for online banking, shopping, social media or storing photos, it is vital that Australians protect their mobile devices as they hold as much if not more, personal information than a PC or laptop.

“We are delighted to partner with industry leaders and work together with them to make it easy for Australians to protect the stuff that matters most to them”.

Samsung Australia’s VP of telecommunications, Tyler McGee, noted that: “Samsung is proud to partner with Norton to provide new smartphone customers with essential and innovative protection. As a leader in the smartphone market, Samsung feels it is important to not only educate Australians about the significance of mobile device protection but also to provide them with a practical and easy way to access it.”

Allphones CEO Shaun Colligan added that: “As the biggest independent retailer of mobile phones in Australia, we feel an obligation to our customers to provide them with the best overall experience; the best mobile devices, customer service, accessories and importantly, protection.

We want our customers to enjoy new mobile devices without having to worry about their personal information being compromised or lost. Through our partnership with Norton, we can offer our customers some peace-of-mind from the minute they purchase their phone”.

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One of Australia’s best-known technology journalists and consumer tech experts, Alex has appeared in his capacity as technology expert on all of Australia’s free-to-air and pay TV networks, including stints as presenter of Ch 10’s Internet Bright Ideas, Ch 7’s Room for Improvement and tech expert on Ch 9’s Today Show, among many other news and current affairs programs.